Bullet loosening improvements in cartridge disassembling machines



Sept. 14, 1948. F. E. COSTELLO 2,449,059

BULLET LOOSENING IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE DISASSEMBLING MACHINES Filed Sept. 3, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 &; 8 2 9 2Q 9 0 m l m 0 I R Q H i -q s Q Q INVENTOR. FFQANK E. EDSTELLD- WZ ZWMHM ATTORNEYS- Sept. 14, 1948.

Filed Sept. 3, 1946 Q INVENTOR. FRANK E. El: STELLCI- BY J%MJ/% Mwm ATTORNEYS- Sept. 14, 1948. F. E. COSTELLO 2,449,059

I BULLET LQOSENING IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE DISASSEMBLING MACHINES Filed Sept. 3, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. FRANK E- Cum-sum- ATTDRNEYEI- Patented Sept. 14, 1948 BULLET LOOSENING IMPROVEMENTS IN CARTRIDGE DISASSEMBLING" MACHINES Frank E. Costello, Philadelphia,v Pa.--

Application September 3,1946, Serial No. 694,442.

3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of amended April 30, 1928;

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to machines for disassembling firearm cartridges into their component parts which are; a bullet, a cartridge case, and a charge of propellent powder.

This invention is an improvement on or addition to that disclosed in my U. S. Patent 2,349,248, granted May 23, 1944.

It is an object of this invention to provide, in a machinefor separating a frangible bullet from a cartridge case on which it is supported and from a propellent charge of. powder contained in the cartridge case, mechanism for loosening the frangible bullet in the neck of the cartridge case so that the frangible bullet is not broken. during the loosening operation nor during the subsequent pulling operation in which the bullet is lifted from the cartridge case.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a machine for disassembling cartridges having frangible bullets; which machine operates quickly and efficiently, since substantially 100% separation of the cartridges is attained; and safely, since the bullets are extracted from the cartridge cases without the explosion of the powder charge.

These objects and others, apparent to those skilled in learned from a consideration of the annexed drawings and specification which contain a full description of one embodiment of this invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top or plan view of my improvements in-a cartridge disassembling machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the machine as viewed in the opposite direction from Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a face view of a cam as seen from line 5-5 of Fig. 4 when viewed in the direction of the arrows, the cam follower being omitted.

One embodiment of the improvements in a cartridge disassembling machine, which improvements have been chosen for illustration in the which will be readily the art, may be drawings and description in the specification is as follows:

The cartridge disassembling machine shown in my prior Patent 2,349,248 includes the following elements. a support for parts of the machine.

(1) A frame or table A which forms (2) A feeding mechanism B on which the cartridges to be disassembled'or separated into their component parts are placed by hand. (3) A conveyor C in the form of a disc having a notched or grooved edge into which the cartridgesare fed vertically and around the perimeter of which the cartridges are conveyed by the rotation of the conveyor. (4) A bullet pulling mechanism D which pulls or lifts the bullet or projectile P (see in Fig. 2) from thecartridge case CC.

which the pulled or extracted bullets fall. (6)

A discharge station F into which the cartridge" cases from which the bullets have been removed are toppled upside down or with their open ends tridge cases fall and are stored for removal, and

(9) a hopper or reservoir'J into which the extracted powder charges fall and are stored for removal.

The mechanism for loosening the frangible bullet P in the cartridge case CC is as follows:

Power is applied. to'the machine by means of a V pulley l0 freely mounted on a shaft [5. To pul-' ley I0 is connected the driving member l2 of a clutch which is manually controlled by means of a handle 13. The driven member I4 of the clutch is fastened on shaft l5 which also carries a. sheave l6 driving-a-belt l1 passing over idlers l8mounted on the frame or table A by brackets IS. The far reach or bight of the belt ll passes over a driving sheave whose edge is notched or recessed to receive the belt [1. Driving sheave 20 is fast on a spindle 2| rotatably mounted in a, stationary support 22 carried by table A. Spindle 2| carries fastened on it a double knurled roller 23.

Fig. 3 shows that support 22 carries a first slide 24 provided with a notch 25 into which extends one end or part 26 of a pivotally mounted cam lever 21 (Fig. 4). First slide 24 carries second slide 28 mounted in it for limited reciprocating movement relative to first slide 24. A spring 29 is mounted between first slide 24 and second slide 28 and is adjustable by means of the set screw 30 so as to vary the stress of the yielding motion between first slide 24 and second slide 28. That end of slide 28 which is nearest the conveyor C and the cartridges carried by the (5) A bullet discharge mechanism E including a hopper or bin" into (7.) A separator G wherein the cartridge portion of a ring having sloping end surfaces 38 so that the cam follower moves onto and off of the cam face 31 without shock. Various sizes of plate cam 31 may be substituted one for another. A spring 39 is attached at one end to cam lever 21 by means of a pin 40 and, at its opposite end, to frame A by means of an anglebracketl I.

The operation of my improved mechanism for loosening a frangible bullet in the neck of its supporting cartridge case is as follows. tridges containing frangible bullets or other projectiles including ball, incendiary, tracer and armor piercing projectiles, are placed by hand in upright position on the feed mechanism B whose operation passes these cartridges one by one into the grooves or notches on the rim of the corn veyor disc C. Conveyor disc C is rotatedintermittently or step-by-step so that in one position of rest one of the cartridges is moved between a double knurled roller 23 and. the single knurled rollers 3|, The cam surface 37 of cam 36 is synchronized or coordinated with the movement of.

the conveyor C so that the single knurled rollers 3| are withdrawn by the pivoting movement of cam lever 21 about its support 32 in response to the movement of cam follower 34 down off of cam surface 31 under the stress of spring 39.

When the single knurled rollers 3i are moved to their maximum travel away from the double knurled roller 23, a cartridge is moved by conveyor C between the rollers 23 and3l. When cam follower 34 next moves up onvcam face 31 by one of the sloping surfaces 38, the single knurled rollers 3| are moved so that they stress against the neck of the cartridge and also press the neck of the cartridge against thevdouble knurled roller 23. Double knurled roller 23 is consequently rotated, being driven by .belt I1.

This pressure of the rollers 23 and 3| against the neck of the cartridge tends to elongate the metal of the cartridge case CC and thus loosens the bullet P in the neck of the cartridge case CC.

This loosening is done without appreciable deformation of t the bullet P and certainly without breaking it. This loosening of the bullet P in the cartridge case CC allows bullet P to be readily withdrawn oil the cartridge case CC by action of the bullet pulling mechanism D which is 10- Car- 4 cated at a later portion of the path of travel of the cartridges in their movement.

I claim:

1. In a machine for removing a frangible bullet from the cartridge case on which the bullet is carried, means for loosening the bullet in the neck of the cartridge case, including, a pair of rollers separated by a, sufficient space to allow the rollers to bear on the neck of the cartridge case, one of said rollers being slidably mounted, and a spring stressing said slidably mounted roller vinto yielding engagement with the neck of the cartridge case.

2. In a machine for disassembling a. frangible bullet from its supporting cartridge, mechanism for loosening the bullet in the cartridge case without breaking the bullet thereby rendering .the bullet more readily removable from the cartridge case, said mechanism including, a rotatably mounted driving roller, power-driven means connected to said driving roller so as to rotate it, at least one rotatably and slidably mounted backing roller, said rollers being spaced apart even when in their nearest position, and a spring stressing saidvbacking roller in its sliding movement towards said driving roller so that said rollers are enabled to yieldingly engage the neck of a cartridge case between them and to disturb the metal forming the neck of the cartridge case to thereby loosen the frangible bullet cartridge case.

3. In a cartridge disassembling machine, a bullet loosening device, including,':a driving roller, atleast one backing roller slidably mounted for movement toward and away from said driving roller, a spring urging said backing roller toward said driving roller whereby said rollers engage the neck of a cartridge case between them and disturb the metal constituting the neck and REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,403,525 Sheppard et al. Jan, 17, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Nov.' 11, 19 20 in the 

